Jeff Appelhans

AI Adoption, Content, and Community | Public-Sector Enablement | Source-Bounded Knowledge Systems

Newark, Delaware, United States

About

I build adoption systems for complex tools in public-trust settings: practical training, clear enablement content, and community loops that help non-technical teams produce reliable results. At APS, I led a transition from copy/paste bibliographic production to a Power BI pipeline that interrogated 6,449 book editions, then built and operationalized a second-layer HSTM research system. That layer integrated bibliography outputs with deeper archival analysis, including 34 XML finding aids, 6,352 EAD components, and 6,615 object identifiers cross-correlated across 24,492 metadata elements. I work across the full adoption stack: workflow design, documentation, stakeholder translation, and implementation support. Recent outputs include internal NotebookLM-assisted briefings for leadership, Makematic script, storyboard, and education material cycles for America’s Scientific Revolutionaries, and conference livestream operations with audience-Q&A relay for Science and Society in an Age of Revolutions. Before APS, I taught in high-accountability K-12 and university settings and supervised future teachers. In HIST 313 (Fall 2018), student evaluations reflected strong discussion-centered instruction and availability (4.88/5 on both discussion opportunities and instructor helpfulness), plus reported gains in writing and verbal communication (4.38/5 and 4.50/5). One anonymous student wrote that I "did an excellent job encouraging class participation and creating discussions." I operate in politically contested environments with a nonpartisan, evidence-first, mission-focused approach.

Experience

  • American Philosophical Society (4 yrs)
    • Richard Lounsbery Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow
      Sep 2024 - Present · 2 yrs

      - Build and operate AI-assisted research workflows (NotebookLM, LLM tooling, Python automations) for source-linked synthesis across large archival datasets. - Produce leadership-ready outputs under deadline, including briefings, scripts, and interview preparation materials. - Translate complex historical/technical material into clear language for public-facing education products and non-specialist audiences. - Led script and storyboard cycles for America's Scientific Revolutionaries and supported conference livestream and audience-Q&A operations.

    • Early American Bibliographer
      Sep 2022 - Present · 4 yrs

      - Led transition from manual bibliographic production to Power BI pipeline operations, interrogating 6,449 editions in support of APS Members bibliography work. - Built automation and QA workflows for authority matching, deduplication, and researcher-ready exports. - Operationalized a second-layer HSTM system integrating 34 XML finding aids, 6,352 EAD components, and 6,615 object identifiers across 24,492 metadata elements. - Built internal NotebookLM workflows and rapid-response briefing support for executive requests.

  • Fellow at National Endowment for the Humanities
    Aug 2021 - Jul 2022 · 1 yr

    - Received NEH salary-replacement fellowship for full-time research and writing on book manuscript. - Conducted archival research, synthesis, and manuscript development on early American Catholicism. - Produced public-facing and scholarly outputs under grant reporting requirements.

  • American Philosophical Society (3 yrs 1 mo)
    • Bibliography Fellow
      Jul 2021 - Jul 2022 · 1 yr 1 mo

      - Managed APS Members bibliography data collection and normalization workflows. - Applied Power Query/Power BI methods to improve throughput, consistency, and auditability. - Prepared structured exports for downstream web and research use.

    • Members Bibliography and Biography Postdoctoral Fellow
      Jul 2020 - Jul 2021 · 1 yr 1 mo

      - Supported NEH-backed bibliography infrastructure and public-facing release work. - Improved international catalog analysis and integration workflows using Power Query/Power BI. - Helped translate complex research outputs into public programming and outreach formats.

    • John C. Slater Postdoctoral Fellow
      Jul 2019 - Jul 2020 · 1 yr 1 mo

      - Developed early project architecture for APS Members Bibliography and Biography workflows. - Built reproducible data-collection methods replacing manual copy/paste processes. - Established cross-team documentation and QA practices for scalable bibliography production.

  • Adjunct Assistant Professor of History at University of Delaware
    Aug 2018 - Jul 2019 · 1 yr

    - Designed and taught history courses while supervising preservice social studies teachers. - Built discussion-centered instructional structures and writing feedback loops. - HIST 313 (Fall 2018): 4.88/5 on discussion opportunities and instructor helpfulness; 4.75/5 on learning outcomes; 4.38/5 writing improvement; 4.50/5 verbal presentation improvement. - Student feedback: "did an excellent job encouraging class participation and creating discussions."

  • University of Delaware (7 yrs 10 mos)
    • Graduate Research And Teaching Assistant
      Aug 2010 - May 2018 · 7 yrs 10 mos

      - Designed and taught undergraduate history sections while serving as graduate research assistant. - Facilitated discussion-led learning and writing development across multiple courses. - Supported faculty research, course operations, and student mentoring in a high-accountability instructional environment.

    • Adjunct Instructor
      Aug 2015 - Dec 2015 · 5 mos

      - Designed and taught undergraduate history instruction with emphasis on evidence-based argument and clear writing. - Built structured discussion and feedback loops to improve student communication and analysis skills.